Veteran sports broadcaster Tony Gubba has diedaged 69 following a short illness, his family have announced.

A long-serving member of the BBC commentary team, Gubba covered everything from World Cups to Summer and Winter Olympics in a varied and distinguished career that spanned more than five decades.

He was one of the most familiar and versatile personalities of British television sport during his career, fronting iconic BBC shows like Grandstand, Sportsnight and Match of the Day during the 1970s and 80s, and, more recently, was the voice of ITV’s Sunday night celebrity skating show Dancing on Ice.

The climax to the QIPCO British Champions Series takes place this Saturday as Flat racing’s end-of-season championship event at Ascot crowns the best horses of 2012.

QIPCO British Champions Day brings the curtain down on an exciting and historic season, with the headlines set to be dominated by what is probably the final appearance of the feted Frankel, regarded in some quarters as the best racehorse in history.

BBC Sport will have all the action covered on what promises to be a memorable occasion for thousands of racegoers and fans on Saturday, October 20.

It’s the biggest horse race in the world and one of British sport’s greatest spectacles.

The 165th running of the breathtaking John Smith’s Grand National takes place tomorrow, with the race being broadcast live for the final time on BBC Television to an anticipated audience of more than 10 million viewers.

Aintree’s flagship race has produced a colourful array of stories throughout its illustrious past, and as BBC TV bids farewell to the Grand National after 52 years, Sport On The Box looks back at some of the race’s most iconic moments during that time.

Tim Gudgin, the voice behind the Saturday tea-time football results, is to retire from broadcasting.

Described by Gary Lineker as “one of the most familiar voices in sport” and “a quintessential part of Saturday afternoons”, the BBC veteran will hang up his microphone after more than 60 years service.